The latest reports really flesh out the brutality of the raid July 22,
2001 of the Genoa Independent Media Center and the Genoa Social Forum.
Photos, detailed reports, videos, etc.. Even some of the mainstream
press is getting it right. The outrageousness of the raid is sinking
in. Dozens of brutal injuries.

Unprovoked beatings of people to unconsciousness. Pools of blood everywhere.
Witnesses galore. Mainstream politicians and press as witnesses.

Genoa. Many eyewitness reports of police raid of Italy Indymedia Center
- GSF. "Many injuries, much blood. Many eyewitness reports of July 22,
2001 police raid (around midnight) on Italy Indymedia Center and also
other Genoa Social Forum (GSF) buildings nearby and across the street.

All are in Genoa, Italy. Genoa (for those living in a cave) is the site
of the G8 (Group of 8) meeting, and mass protests of over one hundred
thousand people from over a thousand groups. A broad spectrum of groups
seeking economic, environmental, and social justice." http://sf.indymedia.org

The face of the new global fascism, complete with Mussolini-worshipping
police. Several good reports and photos of the brutal police raid of
Italy Indymedia and Genoa Social Forum on July 22, 2001. www.stopwhalekill.org/genoa.html

The British press article shows the tremendous swing towards criticism
of corporate rule by some of the mainstream profit and nonprofit press.
Maybe some sanity is returning among the moderates employed in management
in journalism. http://sf.indymedia.org/display.php?id=102096

Latest on 2 British activists in Genoa denied consulate access.
Urgent! "The two Britons are Richard Moth, aged 31, and Nicola Docherty,
aged 28. They were present last night at the headquarters of the Genoa
Social Forum, the umbrella group which has co-ordinated groups in Genoa
committed to peaceful protest. The police raided the Genoa Social Forum
building last night. ... Richard and Nicola were both beaten by police.
They were then taken to hospital, and from there into police custody.
... We understand that 6 British people are being held." http://uk.indymedia.org/

CORPORATISM. Berlusconi's far-right "democracy" in Italy. A mega-media
Mussolini. Description of the political and media situation in Italy
that would allow such a neo-fascist atmosphere of police beatings to
unconscious of many peaceful protesters. http://sf.indymedia.org/

Horrific raid on GSF and IMC Genoa : Report. "As to the 'weapons' they
found in the school, the place was as we said earlier was under repair,
a small section blocked off and littered with pipes and building materials
etc.. Like us they too had knives (and forks!) for cooking and eating."
http://italy.indymedia.org/,
http://sf.indymedia.org/

AP disinfo on WEAPONS found at GSF, IMC raid.
by Where are my BS boots? July 22 2001, Sun, 11:55pm
AP press misinformation on WEAPONS found at Italy Indymedia and Genoa
Social Forum police raid. Associated Press psy-ops. Also look up Operation
Mockingbird in search engines. http://sf.indymedia.org/

Genoa Social Forum (GSF) is the umbrella organization that was the
main organizer of the peaceful G8 rallies, marches, and educational
events. To coincide with the G8 summit meeting July 20-22, 2001. Over
a thousand groups eventually worked with GSF.

GSF did NOT approve violent, offensive direct action, and here are their
web pages below to prove it.

GSF specifically stated they were for NONVIOLENT ACTION. GSF could not
possibly control all the participants in G8 protests, but they did the
best they could to promote nonviolence.

GSF could not search all the people that came and went frequently from
their open forums, rallies, sleeping areas, organizing areas, etc..
GSF DID try to get the more militant groups to agree not to do any violent
direct action at GSF events.

The police raided a GSF place where people were sleeping, and brutally
beat dozens of people, some to unconsciousness and coma, and THEN found
some so-called weapons, mostly building construction materials, from
the GSF building. Part of the GSF building was under repair.

The police did not bother to first raid known black block and anarchist
sleeping sites that were not affiliated with GSF. Probably because they
were afraid of getting their asses kicked. So the police went after
the nonviolent sites. What wimps these police are in Italy.

Genoa Social Forum. From F.A.Q. for all people who will go to
Genoa. "Do not carry any object that can be considered an offensive
weapon." A small folding knife for cutting crusty European bread, European
cheese, meats, etc. is NOT an offensive weapon. Otherwise millions of
tourists who visit Europe and Italy each year would go to jail. http://www.genoa-g8.org/faq-eng.htm

Manifestations, Demonstrations, and events. See the comments
section in English farther down the page. "Every action ought to be
pacific and nonviolent actions." http://www.genoa-g8.org/manif-eng.htm

Genoa Social Forum. PUBLIC FORUM "ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE."
July 16-22, 2001 calendar of events, forums, roundtables, speakers.
Before and during G8 summit in Genoa. Proof of the broad spectrum of
groups involved. http://www.genoa-g8.org/gpf-eng.htm

Genoa Social Forum nonviolence. One Page.
by Links. July 23 2001, Mon, 6:36pm
this article is not yet rated

Here is one page below where the links in the comment above are compiled:

Genoa Social Forum promotes NONVIOLENCE. "Weapons" found at
brutal police raid July 22, 2001. Building materials at GSF site under
repair. GSF is the main umbrella organization that organized the PEACEFUL
marches and educational events during the G8 summit. Webpage links here
to prove it. Police lies are exposed concerning weapons. Broad spectrum
of over 1000 groups that GSF coordinated is shown. http://sf.indymedia.org/

Luck. Member of Parliament at IMC raid.
by Death Squads like the dark. July 23 2001, Mon, 7:43pm

imc raid ...personal reflections. "It turns out that she was a member
of parliament and had been on the first floor when the cops came in.
On her floor, the first room was completely trashed, monitors smashed,
hard disks were ripped out of all the computers, and papers were scattered.

But as they reached her room next and found her everything changed.
They were led out to the hall calmly and given water to drink. Finally,
everything cleared as the cops left the building. We were really lucky.
Our friends in the old school next door were not." http://italy.indymedia.org/

Some Indymedia sites are offline at times. Try the other Indymedia
sites at those times. Also try non-Indymedia links in the thread above
and in the links below.

Police raid sleeping, protesters injure dozens (photo). by Devin Asch
3:38am Sun Jul 22 '01. "Blood stains in the gsf building (across the
street from IMC)where protesters were severely beaten. More than twenty
were badly injured and taken from the building on stretchers. The number
of arrests in has not been released." This is the probable first source
for the bloody photo that many Indymedia sites are using. http://italy.indymedia.org

German green MP Hans-Christian Ströbele in Genoa. "The member
of the german parliament, Hans-Christian Ströbele of Alliance 90/The
Greens will travel to Genoa on wednesday, July 25th. He wants to gain
information about the treatment and state of health of the arrested
german demonstrators in Genoa. According to several press reports arrested
demonstrators had been beaten and tortured in the prisons by italian
police forces. ...

On Friday, July 27th MP Hans-Christian Ströbele will hold a press conference
in Berlin and report on the situation of the prisoners. The press conference
will take place on friday, July 27th, 10.30 am Bundespresseamt Berlin,
room 5/6." [I believe I read that there were Germans among those beaten
and detained at the brutal IMC-GSF police raid]. http://www.indymedia.org

Blicero - The Day After. "In English - Runs 5:24. ... This is
an mp3 audio file with Blicero, a coordinator with the Genoa IMC, from
an appearance he made on the IMC radio webfeed at approx. 1330 7/22/01.
... The second half is a compelling first-hand summary of the police
violence that took place last night at the IMC and school across the
street. Recorded off a microradio air signal rebroadcasting the IMC
Radio webfeed." http://freeteam.nl/blicero.mp3http://www.indymedia.org

Reporters Sans Frontieres denounce violence against the press.
Text is in french. RSF - Lettre de protestation - 24 juillet 2001 -
Italie. "ITALIE - Sommet du G8 ŕ Gęnes. Au moins seize journalistes
sérieusement blessés." And in English: "ITALY. G8 Summit in Genoa. At
least 16 journalists seriously injured." It is not clear to me (or my
French is not good enough) how many of the 16 journalists were injured
at the brutal IMC-GSF raid which is also mentioned in the article. Photos
are in the rsf.org link. http://www.indymedia.org/,
http://www.rsf.org/html/

UK Indymedia front page says "Fifty-one people were injured in the
raid, 31 were taken to hospital, and three required surgery." http://uk.indymedia.org/

The front page of Italy Indymedia says 50 people were taken away, nearly
all to the hospital first. Other reports say around 90 people were arrested
at the combined July 22, 2001 (just after midnight), raids of the Genoa
Social Forum buildings which housed the GSF media center (press office,
Italy Indymedia, Radio Gap, ManifestoCarta, ...) and into the building
opposite to it where most of the vicious unprovoked police beatings
occurred.

From the front page of Italy Indymedia:
"The storming of the police into the building that hosted the GSF media
center (press office, Indymedia, Radio Gap, ManifestoCarta, ...) and
into the building opposite to it destroys the constitution of the Italian
state.

Beside the Government choice to repress in an anti-constitutional way
the GSF, the police was surely not looking only for photos and videos
showing the very brutal events of the last few days. They were especially
looking for an escape goat for all of this.

They held numerous files, including the data-banks of the volunteer
lawyers that were assisting legally some demonstrators. But what is
worse is the the incredible violence with which the police went against
the 50 guys who were sleeping in the gymnasium opposite to the media
center. The signs are clear: BLOOD EVERYWHERE, BROKEN GLASS, DOORS AND
WINDOWS DESTROYED... The signs of a one-way violence! And now the police
has taken away about 50 people (nearly all were first transferred to
the hospital) accusing them of belonging to the 'Black Bloc'." http://italy.indymedia.org/

Amnesty International worried about detained G8 protesters. Reuters
article. "The London-based international human rights organization said
some foreign nationals arrested during the summit in the Italian city
of Genoa had not yet been able to contact their consulates, lawyers,
or families. ...

More than 200,000 people took the streets in Genoa during the G8 summit
... Amnesty said Sunday that Italian authorities should institute a
thorough review of training and deployment of law enforcement officers.

The center-left opposition called for the resignation of Interior Minister
Claudio Scajola, a senior figure in the conservative Forza Italia party
led by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, accusing the police of brutality
against peaceful protesters." http://sf.indymedia.org/

Italy frees 4 G8 Brits. Some serious injuries. Foreign
Secretary to investigate. We need to hold politicians to their promises
by keeping [Indy]media pressure on them, or otherwise their corporate
masters will buy them off. "Friends of Miss [Nicola] Doherty, who had
never been on a protest before, claim she was beaten in her sleeping
bag when police raided ... She suffered a fractured wrist and bruises
to her head when she was arrested during the raid. ... Foreign Secretary
Jack Straw said: 'If there are allegations of assault they need to be
investigated." http://sf.indymedia.org

Genoa - a police officer tells what happened. English translation of
one of the Italian newspaper articles is at the first Indymedia link
below. One of the Italian newspaper article sources below has many more
links in the column to the right of the source article.

From the police confession article:
"The main gate opened continuously - tells the police officer - out
of the vans came youth while getting a beating. They made them stand
against the wall. When they came in they smashed their heads against
the wall. They peed on someone, others were beaten if they didn't sing
fascist songs. A girl was vomiting blood and the chiefs of the prison
police just watched. To the ladies they said that they were going to
rape them with their sticks... well, it's a waste of time telling what
you've already read."

Outrage mounts over police action at G8. Reuters. "Witness accounts
of brutal beatings have appeared in media throughout Europe and criticisms
from parliamentarians and human rights groups have poured into Italy
... The other inquiries focus on a police raid on a school used as sleeping
quarters of umbrella protest group the Genoa Social Forum (GSF)." http://www.indymedia.org/

NORTH AMERICAN MEDIA SILENT ON MASSIVE POST-G8 ITALIAN PROTESTS.
"European news sources confirm that approximately 150,000 people marched
through the city centre's of Rome (approx. 50,000), Milan (approx. 45,000),
Balogna (approx. 15,000), Florence (approx. 6,000), Genoa (approx. 5,000),
Napoli (approx. 5,000), Palermo (approx. 2,000), Trieste (approx. 2,000)
and a number of others, bringing the total number of participating cities
to about thirty." http://uk.indymedia.org

The BBC source has many more G8 brutality articles linked on the right
side of the article. "This is a very big wound for the city. It's the
kind of thing we used to experience 20 years ago." -Francesco Martone,
Green Party senator. http://www.indymedia.org/,
http://news.bbc.co.uk

CITIES IN PROTEST (new). List of hundreds of cities
worldwide who have already protested the police and prison guard brutality
at the Genoa G8 events and protests; and the brutal, unprovoked, police
beatings at Italy Indymedia, Genoa Social Forum, and Radio Gap. http://italy.indymedia.org

An anonymous police officer tell about G8s "chilean night" when the
school (where GSF was) was raided. The italian newspaper La Repubblica
brings an interview with the police officer.

[Translation begins]

Genoa - a police officer tells what happened An anonymous
police officer tell about G8s "chilean night" when the school (where
GSF was) was raided. The italian newspaper La Repubblica brings an interview
with the police officer. This is an attempt at translating that article

He says: "I'm sorry to say that it's all true. Even more. I can still
feel the smell from those hours, the smell from the arrested's fecies,
those who didn't get to go to the toilet. But that night started a week
before when hundreds of agents of the prison police arrived."

This is the first time someone inside the police who was there talks
about what happened. Our source tells that "within the police force
there's still lots of fascism, we have many easily influenced young
people, and many of us applauded what happened that night. But all the
mess (refers to what happened to the arrested after the raid, t.n.)
was the prison police's doing."

And the systematic beatings at the school? "We did that. There are those
who say it was an act of revenge, others that we received a precise
command from Rome: arrest at all costs. Colleagues from Rome were behind
the attack. It was crazy. Both for the victims, our reputation and the
chance of an uprising by the people.

That night there were several at the policestation that sweared, knowing
that if the 20.000 leaving Genova from Brignole station heard about
this, they could face a true riot, uprising.

The transformation of the barracs in Bolzaneto into a "lager" (prisoncamp)
starts monday when a special unit arrives - a unit already infamous
because of its excessive use of force in the Opera-prison intervention.
They had just arrived (...) and take immediately control over parts
of the barrack - the part that for weeks had been made into a prison,
with an infirmary, for the arrested at the G8.

The gym was transformed into an arrival- and identification centre.
All the detained protesters are brought here, those who have documents
showe them, they take fingerprints of everyone. Beside the gym, next
to the tennis court there is a litte house that has been renovated just
for the summit and turned into a regular prison. At the entrance there
are to big open rooms that serve as a waiting room. it was here Genovas
ass. chief in the Digos (special polic eunit) spent saturday night until
sunday morning with carabinieri and other police officers.

"What happened at the school and that continued here at Bolzaneto was
a suspension of rights, an empty space in the constitution. I tried
to tell colleagues, but they only answered that: we don't have to be
afraid, our back is covered."

That night. "The main gate opened continuously - tells the policeofficer
- out of the vans came youth while getting a beating. They made them
stand against the wall. When they came in they smashed their heads against
the wall. They peed on someone, others were beaten if they didn't sing
fascistsongs.

A girl was vomiting blood and the chiefs of the prison police just watched.
To the ladies they said that they were going to rape them with they're
sticks... well, it's a waste of time telling what you've already read."

And you, the others? "There weren't many of us. Most were still in
Genoa to guard the red zone. Still, there were people who accepted what
happened, while others intervened, like this inspector that stopped
the beating of a man by saying "this is not your house". And there were
those like me that maybe didn't do enough, and that today are ashamed."

And if the prison police hadn't been there? "I don't think it would
have gone that far. Our commandante is a hard man, but of the old school,
those who know what honour is and that knows how to educate his men,
we call him Rommel."

What happened to the democratic police officers? "We're still many
- answers the police officer - but today we're both afraid and shameful."

[Translation and Indymedia article ends]

Italy's death squads?
by Corporate Rule. July 27 2001, Fri, 10:24am

Well, it looks like Italy will soon get some links on this Death Squad
web page below. The intelligence agencies, "anti-terrorist" police,
national police, paramilitaries, private security, private investigators,
and other shadowy, nearly unaccountable organizations worldwide have
many close ties. Often corporate ones.

Much of the killing in Latin America today is from legal corporate-controlled
PRIVATE security, illegal corporate-controlled paramilitaries, and corruption
of all the organizations mentioned above, usually from drug money. The
rightwing usually makes more money from drugs than the leftwing.

The key factor to getting away with murder is to define an "enemy"
in terms that allow people not to care about those killed. Terms such
as "anti-capitalist" or "drug pusher." Both of which are untrue characterizations.

Most G8 protesters are not communist, nor anti-capitalist in the communist
sense, nor even anti-globalization. It would be more accurate to say
that they are against corporate control of globalization. Most low-level
hard-drug dealers are also users desperately in need of money to pay
for their hard drug addiction. They need healthcare, not bullets.

Exclusive! The first interview with the UK Indymedia reporter still
in a Genoa hospital. BBC radio 4 succeeded in interviewing an emotional
Marcus as he lay in hospital. The interview with Marcus 'Sky’ Covell
can be heard via Real media. "It's a horrible thing when you hear your
bones breaking..."

An Italian Magistrate has interviewed Sky and has decided not to press
any charges. By the way, BBC is nonprofit. Interesting that the nonprofit
media is so much better, usually, than the corporate mega-media. http://sf.indymedia.org/display.php?id=102470

The BBC's Jackie Rowley reports. 4 British G8 protesters beaten in
July 21/22 overnight raid of Genoa Social Forum. Released from Genoa
jail and arriving in Heathrow (spelling?) airport in England. Interviews.
Audio and video. Excellent. Shows bandaged broken wrist, head bandages,
etc..Audio:http://news.bbc.co.uk

Evidence prompts calls for Italian Govt to explain G8 police brutality.
Australian Broadcasting Company. "In Britain, the press carried extensive
coverage of the testimony of four activists who flew home Thursday local
time after four days in detention, as well as another - Mark Covell
- who is still too ill to leave hospital in Genoa.

Letter from a man whose daughter was tortured by Italian police.
Heartbreaking letter translated from Italian to English. Daughter had
been severely beaten at brutal Genoa Social Forum raid. Her father had
come to Genoa to search for her and had narrowly avoided getting beaten
himself on the streets. http://uk.indymedia.org/

Interview with journalist Wagenschein reporting Genoa jail conditions.
"german journalist Kirsten Wagenschein ... after five days in an Italian
prison ... Genoa Social Forum ... half of the seventy people arrested
were injured; many were lying on the floor with head injuries and covered
in blood, and hardly moved anymore, they only moaned. Blood was everywhere.

Police broke a young woman's jaw and smashed out her front teeth. Immigrants
with a dark skin were mistreated in a particularly extreme manner. ...
The police hit us with batons and kicked us with their boots. On my
way to the toilet I saw a man being beaten up in another cell." http://uk.indymedia.org/1

AltaVista - News Results for: g8. AltaVista News search engine is powered
by the excellent Moreover.com periodical search. The link below will
do a search for "g8" and lists hundreds of articles. But, the articles
seem to only go back a week. So copy any articles of interest right
away and post them everywhere you can.

Under "fair use" laws it is legal to post them at Indymedia because
Indymedia is nonprofit. Try to comment on the article posted. Don't
allow any lack of information, or any bogus spin to go unnoticed. http://news.altavista.com/search?q=g8&nc=0

Broken bones, lost teeth, punctured lungs, many head injuries, bruises
all over, continuous torture in jails and raids, world outrage (at least
in the European media). < P>UK. Guardian Unlimited | Archive Search
for Guardian and Observer articles. Search for "g8" and sort by date
to see the latest news. Archive goes back several years. Copy any recent
articles of interest right away and post them everywhere you can. Under
"fair use" laws it is legal to post them at Indymedia because Indymedia
is nonprofit. Try to comment on the article posted. Don't allow any
lack of information, or any bogus spin to go unnoticed. Don't forget
to include the URL web address for the original article location. This
is important so people can verify the article is real. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive

UK. Guardian. July 27, 2001. 'I thought my God, this is it, I'm going
to die.' Article excerpts: "Then he was beaten for a second time. 'I
heard my ribs break, like snapping matchsticks. I was still conscious
at this stage. They take a running jump at you like kicking a football.'
Somebody dragged him by the neck to the front of the school and he was
beaten again. ... He had five broken ribs, some of which pierced his
lung and possibly a ruptured spleen. He has not been able to stand up
since and lost 10 teeth. ... 'I want the carabinieri charged with attempted
murder. I didn't mind their beating me the first time but the second
and third time they tried to kill me'." http://www.indymedia.org/,
http://www.commondreams.org,http://www.guardian.co.uk/

UK. Guardian Unlimited Statement from Genoa protesters. Jonathan
Blair, Daniel MacQuillan, Richard Moth and Nicola Doherty
Thursday July 26, 2001. These British detainees put out this statement
on their arrival in England. "The group of G8 activists on this flight
were part of about 90 people held in custody after a police raid on
a school building in which they were sleeping last Saturday night. ...
Most of those present required hospital treatment. Several were carried
out on stretchers. People suffered broken bones and head injuries and
many were covered in blood. All those present were taken into police
custody. While held they suffered further punches and kicks." http://www.guardian.co.uk

Updated list of cities with demonstrations. by Giovanni (on behalf
of ztarratz) 11:59pm Fri Jul 27 '01. genoa099@yahoo.com
"solidarity actions in more than 200 Cities all over the world to support
the victims of the italian police, which has seriously broken laws and
human rights of hundreds (!) at the g8 meeting in genova." http://italy.indymedia.org/

The Genoa police brutality and terroristic raids have distracted some
people from one of the main points of the nearly all the protests since
Seattle. That point is the debt dictatorship of the rich nations over
all other nations. In fact some of the mainstream peaceful Stop the
Debt events were cancelled due to rampant police violence.

While the G8 leaders mouth platitudes about token AIDS donations and
token development aid and token debt relief, their International Monetary
Fund and World Bank continue to pillage and plunder these nations. Far
more is extracted from these nations in debt payments than is given
to these nations.

There is NOTHING generous about most loans to nations. Most are just
to keep these nations under corporate control and to keep them from
doing what any individual debtor in most rich nations can do: DECLARE
BANKRUPTCY AND STOP PAYING. This is the single most effective tool to
keep banks from making bad loans to unprepared individuals, unworthy
entrepreneurs, propped-up dictators, and second and third world puppets.

The citizens of these nations did NOT sign these loans. Elections in
most of these poor nations are less democratic than even the sham Berlusconi-style,
Bush-style, corporate-mega-media-controlled elections in rich nations.

BBC News. World Inequality. Charts showing the rapidly increasing
wealth inequality between nations. Over the last decades the rich nations
average per capita income is increasing, while poor nations per capita
income is hardly increasing at all. The charts don't point out that
even in the rich nations the income of the middle class and poor is
not what is raising the average income.

The wealthy are the only ones really increasing their income in real
dollars when inflation is counted in. At the expense of the poor and
middle class worldwide. In the USA even as recently as the 1950's many
families were able to survive WELL on one person's income. http://news.bbc.co.uk

Investment is far better than a loan. Investment is a risk that requires
INVOLVEMENT. Loans without bankruptcy rights are slavery. Pay for and
strictly monitor infrastructure improvements. For free. Don't "loan"
the infrastructure money to a puppet and his Swiss and other foreign
bank accounts. That only helps the rich in the nations with the banks.

No new debt cancellation from G8 leaders in Genoa. This is the
most brutal action of the G8 death-squad fascists like Berlusconi and
Bush. Tens of millions more will die miserably in poor nations because
of the debt. http://www.dropthedebt.org/

Africa alone spends four times more on repaying its debts than it spends
on health care. "Debt is tearing down schools, clinics, hospitals and
the effects are no less devastating than war," Dr Adebayo Adedeji. http://www.debtchannel.org/

7. In 1953, Germany only had to pay the equivalent of 3.5% of export
earnings as debt service. Yet under the current debt reduction initiative,
the poorest countries are expected to pay more than 15% of export earnings
in debt service after receiving debt relief.
Source: Jubilee 2000 Coalition, 1999

9. The G7 control almost 50% of the votes on the Boards of the International
Monetary Fund and World Bank, and in effect control these institutions.
The entire region of Sub-Saharan Africa has just 7% of the votes - an
equivalent amount to Germany alone.
Source: IMF, 2000

3. 19,000 children die every day as a result of the debt crisis.
Source: Christian Aid, 2000

BBC News | Advanced Search. Go here and search for people's names (such
as Mark Covell or Norman Blair) or "genoa" or "genoa social forum" or
"g8" or whatever. Searching for a name seems to pull up the most relevant
article if the first letters of the first and last name are capitalized.
This is the English language search engine and will only pull up articles
in English (unlike some of the other confusing search engines at BBC
that pull up all languages. Is there an option to choose the language?).
This search engine also allows phrase searches and Boolean searches
(unlike some other BBC search engines). There is a search by date option
on the results page. http://newssearch.bbc.co.uk/ksenglish/query.htm

just to say....
hello everybody! this is my very first post and i am doing it from the
hospital computer in genoa. i am still very weak but today, the doctors
took out all of the pipes and tubes and i have been able to take my
first short walk around the hospital ward. i am enormously taken aback
by all the messages of get well and of solidarity and you all give me
more strength every day. italy. indymedia, the doctors and the people
of genoa have been extraordinary kind.

last night, i gave a six hour statement to state prosecutors and a judge.
i am now under the protection of the italian judicial system and cannot
be deported. i have denounced the carabineri forces and the interior
minister and will be bringing charges against the authorities for what
they did that night to me in battitista. the few of us left here are
asking the movement to demand the overturning of all of the deportation
orders that were issued last week, so that all of the injured, tortured
and arrested can come back and give evidence to the judge that is investigating
what happened.

i must go now, but i hope to come back to the uk on thursday as soon
as i have the strength.

in solidarity

Marcus Sky.

Kidnapped and tortured by the Italian state - an eyewitness
account.
STATEMENT OF JONATHAN NORMAN BLAIR.
"The ambulance crew arrived and began ripping up cardboard boxes to
make splints as they did not have enough equipment to deal with the
number of broken bones. Of the 93 people arrested, over 60 went to hospital
– and remember, this was not for minor injuries but for broken bones
and head trauma. One man was completely battered down his back and did
not go to hospital." http://uk.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=8274

Kiwi G8 protestor beaten by police. July 28, 2001.
NZOOM - ONE News - National. "The New Zealand protestor, Sam Buchanan,
... 'There was a lot of people covered in blood,' said Buchanan from
London. 'Some people were unconscious. There was just a room full of
about 40-odd people that obviously had been completely battered and
with some quite serious injuries,' said the Wellington jounralist and
activist. Buchanan says he was dragged from his bed and beaten during
the police crackdown." http://onenews.nzoom.com/news_detail/0,1227,50983,00.html

July 29, 2001. Genoa Briton to sue. "Mr [Norman] Blair insisted
the atmosphere in the [Genoa Social Forum] building had been like a
youth hostel with little evidence of violent anarchists. 'We were beaten
up straight away - there was no attempt to arrest or question anyone.'
And he said worse followed as he was detained without charge in a holding
centre. 'That was a place of torture'. ... Five Britons have said they
were beaten unconscious by police." http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1463000/1463040.stm

July 29, 2001. G8 protestor [Norman Blair] to sue 'brutal' police.
"The vow came as Swansea East MP Donald Anderson called for a full government
inquiry into the week's violence. ... His girlfriend, Melanie Cooper
from Wrexham, told BBC Wales: 'The police went in with ambulances and
attacked people with batons and tear gas, took people to hospitals and
took them to prison after that.

As far as I know, if he was hurt it was only minor, but a friend he
was with had his arm broken and a blow to the head and another was badly
hurt and is still in hospital. He isn't a member of any group but just
went with a couple of friends because he cares about the state the world
is in'." http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/wales/newsid_1463000/1463080.stm

Video of the beating of "Sky" Mark Covell. "During the carrabinieri
raid of the GSF [Genoa Social Forum] school building, UK indymedia activist
Mark Covell was beaten three times. This video shows him unconscious
on the floor during the second attack, he suffered cracked ribs and
a punctured lung amongst other injuries. This file is large, a 4 mb
mpeg so please be patient if you're on a dial-up connection." You can
surf other web pages while the mpeg video file downloads.

July 29, 2001. Sunday Times. "THE Italian general in charge
of the special police accused of beating dozens of British and other
protesters at the G8 meeting in Genoa is to be called in for questioning
by magistrates, who are leading an inquiry into the violence. ... 'We
publicly invite the young people who were detained, and the police officers
who witnessed something, to contact us,' said Francesco Pinto, a Genoa
magistrate who launched the inquiry last week." http://italy.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=9801

Radio GAP - The Global Audio Project - reports. There are some
audio archives of the Genoa G8 events here. Such as "The on air programme
during the irruption of the police in the studios of Radio Gap." http://www.radiogap.net/en/index.html

Quote of the Week. "The real story in Genoa, where the largest
anti-corporate globalization protests yet took place, is the failure
of the G8 to cancel the debt of the poorest countries and respond to
the call of the protesters to stop policies that are causing global
economic apartheid."
-- Neil Watkins, Center for Economic Justice.

In the 52 Jubilee 2000 countries, a total population of 1037 million
people shoulder a debt burden of Ł286 billion [pounds]. It is a curious
fact that this is less than the total net worth of the world's 21 richest
individuals.

For each additional one per cent of GDP spent on health and education,
child mortality is reduced by 24 per cent. In 1999 Zambia paid $438.5
million in total debt service, 13 per cent of GDP.

If this money had been invested in Zambian health care, using the UNDP
analysis suggests that child mortality would have been reduced from
a rate of 202 deaths per 1,000 live births to only 8 per 1000 live births,
the same rate as in the United States.

If debt had been cancelled in 1997 for twenty of the poorest countries,
the money released for basic healthcare could have saved the lives of
about 21 million children by the year 2000, the equivalent of 19,000
children a day.